The Symposium on Magnetic Ultrathin Films, Multilayers and Surfaces, hosted by the European Materials Research Society, was held at the Palais de la Musique et des Congré in Strasbourg, France on June 4-7, 1996. Its central theme was the relationship of magnetic properties and device performance to structure at the nano and micrometer length scale. Research on the magnetism of surfaces, ultrathin films and multilayers has increased dramatically during recent years. This development was triggered by the discovery of coupling between ferromagnetic layers across nonmagnetic spacer layers and of the giant magnetoresistance effect in systems of reduced dimension using various micro and nanofabrication techniques has become a subject of special interest. It is certainly the promising application potential of these effects in new magnetic recording device geometries which causes this intensive research, which is done both by companies and at universities and research institutes. A selection of invited and contributed papers presented at the Symposium and accepted for publication is contained in this volume. The contents of these proceedings are organized into seven sections. A. Nanowires, Nanoparticles, Nanostructuring B. Ultrathin Films and Surfaces, Characterization C. Giant Magnetoresistance D. Coupling, Tunneling E. Growth, Structure, Magnetism F. Growth, Structure, Magnetoresistance G. Coupling, Magnetic processes, Magneto-optics. The first four sections contain invited and oral contributed papers in the listed research domains, while the last three sections contain the contributions presented during three large poster sessions.

Materials Research in thin and ultrathin magnetic structures is a multidisciplinary field which heavily relies on state-of-the-art growth, characterization and theoretical approaches to build a comprehensive physical picture on how magnetic properties depend on interfacial structural issues, interlayer coupling and transport phenomena. Often in this field, the critical properties and characterization required necessitates knowledge of structural and magnetic phenomena extending over several atomic planes. Atomic controlled growth techniques are required and atomic sensitivity is needed from magnetic and structural probes. This critical knowledge is vital for device applications, providing the basis for the synergistic interactions that are predominant in this field of research. This volume is the definitive reference source for anyone interested in the latest advances and results of current experimental research in ultrathin film magnetism.

This book contains the proceedings of 3 symposia dealing with various aspects of small scale structures. Symposium A deals with the development of new materials, including ceramics, polymers, metals, etc., their microstructuring as well as their potential for application in microsystems. All kinds of microsystems are considered, e.g. mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, biochemical and issues related to assembly and packaging were also covered.Symposium B deals with four topics: synthesis and preparation of nanostructured ceramics and composites with well-controlled geometric order and chemical composition; coupling of these structures to transducers for current and future chemical and biochemical devices based upon microoptics, microelectronics, microionics, microelectrodes or molecular cages; planar thin film structures and the control of covalent thin film/transducer couplings, the control of selective, stable and sensitive recognition centers at the surface, at grain boundaries or in the bulk of selected nanostructured materials with extremely narrow particle size distributions; analysis of these structures and sensor functions by means of techniques utilizing photons, electrons, ions, or atomic particle beam probes.Symposium E examines the structure-property relationships in thin films and multilayers, from the point of view of both fundamental studies and practical applications.

Proceedings of the March 1997 symposium, the central thrust being the relationship of magnetic properties and device performance to structure at the atomic, nanometer, and submicron length scales in these systems of reduced dimensionality. The 89 contributions cover the following topics: synthesis, processing, and characterization; novel applications and approaches for magnetism; nano-microstructure and magnetic properties; structure and properties--mixing, strain, and steps; nanoscale magnetic confinement, particles, and arrays; magnetization reversal and domain structure; synthesis and characterization; synchrotron radiation studies of magnetic materials; magneto-optical properties, effects, and measurements; magnetic phenomena; CMR and tunneling; and interlayer coupling and spin polarization. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Preliminary research was done on stress sensors incorporated with magnetostrictive TbFe/FeCo multilayers and MTJ samples. This work can be continued by others as an extension of this dissertation.

The ability to understand and control the unique properties of interfaces has created an entirely new field of magnetism, with profound impact in technology and serving as the basis for a revolution in electronics. Our understanding of the physics of magnetic nanostructures has also advanced significantly. This rapid development has generated a need for a comprehensive treatment that can serve as an introduction to the field for those entering it from diverse fields, but which will also serve as a timely overview for those already working in this area. The four-volume work Ultra-Thin Magnetic Structures aims to fulfill this dual need. The original two volumes – now available once more – are "An Introduction to the Electronic, Magnetic and Structural Properties" (Vol. I) and Measurement Techniques and Novel Magnetic Properties (this volume). Two new volumes, "Fundamentals of Nanomagnetism" and "Applications of Nanomagnetism," extend and complete this comprehensive work by presenting the foundations of spintronics.